This is my Original Contribution for my Capstone for the American College of Education.

1. Original Contribution
Christina A. Freeman
American College of Education
ED5091: Capstone Experience for Advanced Studies
Dr. Sandra Johnson
February 6, 2023

2. Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Coursework Connections
• Lesson 1 from ENG5003: Writing as a Means to an End: Connecting Writing and Reading for Literacy Success
• Lesson 2 from ENG5013: High Drama: Evaluating Literary and Commercial Works
• Lesson 3 from ENG5023: The Culture of Literary Expression: Analyzing Influences on Literature and Comprehension
• Lesson 4 from ENG5033: Revolutionary Words: Using Language and Literacy to Make a Difference
• Lesson 5 from ENG5043: Message in a Bottle: Media and Messaging in the Modern Age
• Lesson 6 from ENG5053: The Power of Words and Images: Framing Influential Works Through New Literacies

3. Introduction
As a teacher, I always strive to be better. I like to look for new, more effective ways to teach and engage the
students. That is why I chose to obtain my Master’s Degree. I knew that I would be taking valuable courses which
would help me become a better teacher. Over the last 15 months, I have learned so much through my courses that I
will be able to apply in my classroom. One of these lessons is that there is a lot more to teaching English than you
can get from a textbook. The literature anthologies and novels are amazing resources, but there is a lot more
available for new and unique lessons. For my original contribution, I will be giving examples of effective lessons
for the English classroom that do not involve textbooks. I have taken what I have learned from Master’s courses in
English to compile these ideas. I chose this project to incorporate what I have learned in my courses, while at the
same time demonstrating that there are so many methods of teaching English that do not involve using a textbook.

4. Coursework Connections
I chose this topic for my Original Contribution because when I was in high school and college, almost all of my
English coursework was from a textbook or anthology. While I do appreciate a good novel or literature anthology, I
have realized that there is so much more to English than one can find in textbooks. For example, in ENG5003, I
learned different techniques to teach writing and how to connect it to reading. I learned to analyze different types of
writing, as well as how to write for a specific audience. ENG5013 dealt a lot with different types of storytelling,
while in ENG5023, I analyzed influences on literature through political posts and poetry. In ENG5033, I studied
words and language in literacy and how to use language effectively. ENG5043 focused more on using technology in
the classroom and moving into the Modern Age. Lastly, ENG5053 led me through the power of words and images.

5. ENG5003: This English class focused on different types of writing. We studied various types of writing in this course such as
professional writing, explanatory writing, flash fiction, and poetry. We also worked on making writing appropriate for a specific
audience. This writing lesson will focus on flash fiction.
Flash Fiction
What is flash fiction?
 Flash fiction is a type of short story which contains a plot, characters, and setting that is 1,500 words or less (Glatch, 2022).
 Although brief, flash fiction stories must have well developed characters and a complete plot (Glatch, 2022).
 Another requirement of flash fiction is that the last line must surprise the reader in some way (Glatch, 2022).
 While this may seem easy to some students, writing a good flash fiction story will take practice. Students will have to learn to
choose their words wisely because every word counts when the writing is so short. It may be a challenge at first, but students
are sure to grow to love flash fiction.
Tired of hearing, "How long does this have to be?!" Not with flash fiction!!!

6. ENG5013: A big part of this class was about storytelling. We learned about the benefits of storytelling and how it can be used to
share information about one’s culture and traditions. We also learned how to use storytelling in the classroom. Storytelling in the
classroom is beneficial because it can help make connections with the students. Stories help students retain information because
the content is more meaningful (Padrón, 2020).
Public Service Announcement
 Can be used to teach storytelling.
 A Public Service Announcement (PSA) is a short message that is produced to raise awareness of, or change public opinions
of a certain topic (“Guidelines for Producing,” n.d.).
 Students will research PSAs, both current and classic, and discuss how they demonstrate storytelling.
 They will then have to create their own PSA.
 To create an effective PSA, students will have to research topics, their audience, and what message they are trying to spread
(“Guidelines for Producing,” n.d.).
 How will this benefit students?
 This assignment will benefit students because it will give them a creative way to voice their opinions about a topic of
their choice (teacher approved).
 They will have to tell a story effectively to reach their audience and connect with them through the story they are trying
to tell.

7. ENG5023: In this course, we analyzed different influences on literature, such as political poetry, song lyrics, images, narratives,
and movies from different cultures. Building from the previous class’s lesson on storytelling, this lesson will focus on narrative
poetry.
 What is a narrative poem?
 Narrative poetry is poetry that tells a story (Glatch, 2022).
 It combines the techniques of storytelling, plot, setting, and characters, with the techniques of poetry, form, meter, and rhyme
(Glatch, 2022).
 There are four types of narrative poetry: the epic (recounts a story of heroism), the ballad (often set to music and meant to
entertain), the idyll (shorter narratives that explore the rustic life), and the lay (each line has 8 syllables) (Glatch, 2022).
 Students will:
 Research types of narrative poetry and study and analyze examples
 Choose a time in their life they wish to write about
 Choose a type of narrative poem to write
 Start writing!
 Benefits of writing narrative poetry:
 It allows the students to be creative in telling their story
 It will strengthen students' writing skills

8. ENG5033: In this course, we studied a lot of different ways of communicating information, including public speaking, videos,
and blogs. This lesson will combine two of the topics studied in the course: personal writing and public speaking.
Personal writing:
o Gives students the opportunity to reflect on personal experiences,
as well as helps them to develop their voice (Brown, 2020)
Public speaking:
o Can be hard for some students, but it is a necessary skill to learn.
o At some point in their lives, students will have to communicate publicly with someone, and practicing the skill in high school
will help students become more confident and increase their communication skills (DeCastro, 2020).
Assignment:
o Students will think of a personal experience from their own lives that they would like to share with the class.
o They will write a piece of personal history, and then share it with the class.
What's the point?
o An assignment like this will help the students connect with the teacher and their peers on a more personal level.
o It will also strengthen their writing and speaking skills.

9. ENG5043: This course focused on media and technology in the classroom. This lesson will be a unit in which the students listen
to and study a podcast.
Why teach a podcast?
• Teaching a podcast is a great way to incorporate media into the classroom.
• According to research, podcasts can be effective in enhancing learning, as well as enhancing listening skills (Henning, 2017,
p. 31).
• Podcasts are also effective for classroom use because they expose the students to vocabulary and syntax use (Patterson,
2021).
• Patterson also said, “Podcasts have unique advantages. They feature authentic language, real conversations, and diverse
voices” (Patterson, 2021).
• This 12 episode podcast, Serial, will take 20 days, and includes listening to the podcast in class, classroom discussions,
comprehension questions, analyzing data and evidence, and a project at the end of the unit.
• This true podcast will engage students because it involves people their own age, one of whom is accused of killing his ex-
girlfriend.

10. ENG5053: In this class we studied communication and how it has changed. We also studied oral storytelling, how different
media reports on similar stories, and how social media has changed how we communicate. For this assignment, students will
choose a social media platform, and create an infographic describing how the platform has changed the way people
communicate.
What is an infographic?
 Infographics are visual representations of data (Magno, 2022).
 They are a great way to get students interested in presenting their research.
Students will love creating their own infographic!
 Before students begin working on their infographics, I will discuss what they are, look at examples, and answer any questions
they may have.
 Allowing students to create their own infographics will allow them to show their creativity while summarizing their data.
How has social media changed the way we communicate?
 Social media has changed the way we communicate with each other, and it directly impacts the students who are active on
social media, and even those who are not.
 Through having the students trace the way communication has changed with the use of social media, they will become more
aware of how social media, and technology, have changed things.

11. References
Brown, C. (2020, June 15). Write to learn: The power of personal writing. Center for the Professional Education of Teachers. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from
https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/news-press/write-to-learn-the-power-of-personal-writing
DeCastro, M. (2020, March 26). Why we need to teach public speaking skills in schools. Medium. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from
https://mauricedecastro.medium.com/why-we-need-to-teach-public-speaking-skills-in-schools-dffd166f04a
Glatch, S. (2022, June 21). How to write Flash fiction stories (with examples!). Writers.com. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://writers.com/how-to-write-
flash-fiction
Glatch, S. (2022, September 20). What is a narrative poem? definition and examples. Writers.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://writers.com/narrative-
poem-definition
Hennig, N. (2017). Podcasts in Context. Library Technology Reports, 30–38. https://doi.org/edsgcl.510481055
Magno, J. M. (2022, April 17). How to use infographics in high school classrooms. Venngage. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://venngage.com/blog/how-to-
use-infographics-in-high-school-classrooms/
NRC-RIM. Guidelines for Producing Public Service Announcements. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://nrcrim.org/sites/nrcrim.umn.edu/files/2021-
04/PSA_Guidelines_Final.pdf
Padrón, A. (2020, August 21). The importance of storytelling in the learning processing. Vista Higher Learning Blog. Retrieved January 28, 2023, from
https://vhlblog.vistahigherlearning.com/the-importance-of-storytelling-in-the-learning-process.html
Patterson, L. (2021, August 8). Why you should bring podcasts into your classroom. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/podcasts-in-the-classroom/